All That Glitters
by Taraum
Summary: Post TP.  After Jim leaves for the Academy, Sarah is consumed by loneliness.  After hiring a new cook named Silver, that begins to change.  They grow closer and Sarah has to wonder: is she falling in love?
1. Lonely

_A/N: This story was inspired after reading Chapter 10 of PcKtmouse's story Trifles. After reading it, I tried to look up some Silver/Sarah stories, only to find that there basically were none. So I decided to write one, just to make the plot bunnies leave me alone._

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><p>Sarah Hawkins sighed and pulled her shawl closer around her shoulders. As she looked up into the winter night sky, she noted absently the light din coming from the foyer behind her. Leaning back against the brick of the Benbow Inn, she closed her eyes and smiled sadly. She had seen Jim and Amelia off to the spaceport earlier that day, not bothering to hide her amusement at her son's impatience.<p>

It had been almost a year since Jim had found Flint's trove and subsequently joined the Interstellar Academy. Sarah smiled thinking of her now good friend, Amelia. Without her help, she doubted Jim would have made it into his newest adventure. And although Sarah had had her doubts about how Jim would adjust to military life, he seemed to have taken to it keenly. So keenly, in fact, that he was most anxious to get back to the Academy and his studies. Sarah smiled, imagining how her son must revel in learning of (not to mention seeing) so many of the places he had read and heard about as a child. She had high hopes for him, certainly much higher than before he had gone into space for the first time.

_So, what is wrong with me then? _she wondered, placing a hand over her heart. Ever since Jim and Amelia had left today, Sarah had been unable to concentrate on the simplest of tasks. After seeing them off, she had returned to the inn, intent on starting dinner for her patrons. But instead, she had found herself staring into a pot of burned stew, a dull ache residing in her chest. After throwing out what should have been a lovely meal, she had started over and made sure to pay attention this time. After dinner, she had patiently listened to one of her regulars ask for something native to Kinapas before admitting in chagrin that she actually didn't know how to make it. The old farmer had smiled understandingly before giving her the recipe and suggesting that on her next trip into the spaceport, she pick up a new book of recipes.

After dinner, Sarah had picked up and cleaned the dishes, still inexplicably distracted. She had numbly swept out the foyer, balanced her books, and entered an order for more supplies before coming to stand outside. Sarah peeked through the window beside her and sighed in relief. While she had been musing, the last of her customers must have decided to go to sleep. Perhaps now that her business was done, she could go visit Delbert. With Amelia gone, he would certainly welcome any extra help with the children. Sarah smiled at the thought of their many antics. Although Delbert was getting better with children, she knew that he was often overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a father. Yes, that's what she would do, she would go help Delbert…except, she remembered suddenly, Delbert and the children were gone on vacation to visit his mother. The dull ache in her chest suddenly increased again, and Sarah knew what was wrong. She was _lonely_.

Sarah sighed again and rubbed her temple. Surely not this again. In the years since Leland left, she had learned to not focus on what she was missing. It simply hurt too much. In the months following his departure, she had forced herself to bury her own emotions down. Instead, she focused on her son. Although at first Jim had been inconsolable, his grief had slowly turned into a surly, simmering anger. As the years had passed, he had begun acting out, giving her yet more to worry about. So she had pulled herself up out of the ashes of her failed marriage, choosing to focus more on the present and what she did have than on what she didn't. She became strong, unwavering, incredibly patient…but still lonely. Although she had taken comfort in Delbert's friendship, even that had failed to ward off the loneliness some nights. She shivered, remembering the many years that she had cried herself to sleep after checking that Jim was actually asleep. But she had hoped that with the new opportunities would come the end of this particular sad stage in her life. Her inn was running smoothly, business was better than ever, and she had more companionship than she had in years. She was content, successful, and _secure_ for the first time in so long. But, as much as she took comfort in these facts, she was still lonely.


	2. First Encounter

The Benbow Inn needed a new cook. It was as simple as that. Sarah looked down at her pocket watch and sighed. Already she had interviewed three applicants today, and it wasn't even noon. The first had been too quick-tempered; the second hadn't had enough experience; and the third had spent more time staring at her chest than answering her questions. Sarah rubbed her temple again and studied the bland wood of one of her tables. It had been a week since she had felt the old ache of loneliness, and she had decided to do something about it. Instead of wallowing in her own sadness, she would fix the situation. Actually, it worked out quite perfectly. She would gain a new companion (not to mention some extra help) and her customers would finally have a bit of variety to look forward to.

A faint knock at the door broke Sarah out of her thoughts. "Come on in," she said cheerfully, rising from her chair. The alien that walked through the door nearly made her sit back down in shock. He filled out the entire doorframe. He was tall and wide, with a nose almost as wide as his face and a smile to match. Sarah noticed in dismay that he was missing one of his teeth. But that wasn't what drew her attention. All his right limbs (even his eye and ear) were cybernetic implants. A few of the gears clicked and whirled in the eerie silence as Sarah continued to stare at him.

"Aye, I'll admit t'at it 'tis a sight," he chuckled, removing his hat. Coming farther into the room, he laid his hat on the table. Sarah shook her head at her own rudeness.

"I'm sorry," she said, quickly making her way over to him and holding out a hand. He studied her carefully, his eyes lingering on hers before accepting her hand. "Pardon my rudeness, you just…surprised me," she smiled meekly. "I'm Sarah Hawkins, the owner here. You must be Mr. Silver."

"John, lass. T'e name's John Silver," he smiled warmly, shaking her hand.

"All right…John...why don't we sit down and get this over with?" Sarah replied, motioning him to sit down. As he sat down, the chair creaking under his weight, Sarah couldn't repress a smile. "So, what qualifications do you have?"

John Silver leaned back, his mouth turning up into a smirk. "Well, ye might say t'at I've worked sev'ral times as a cook."


	3. Bonzabeast Stew

She was tenacious, if nothing else. Silver leaned back and watched her wait the tables, smiling warmly at her regulars. _So much like Jimbo…_he thought, remembering the boy he hadn't seen in almost a year. Sarah turned to catch him staring. Saluting her playfully, he turned back to tonight's dinner, but not before noticing the small smirk she gave him._ Yep, exac'ly like Jimbo._

Silver stirred the stew expertly before adding a dash of paprika and salt. For all the lies he had ever told as a pirate, this wasn't one of them. He might be more comfortable searching the galaxy for gold, but he could earn an honest living if he needed to. And, for the moment, he did need to. He had made it all the way to the Lagoon Nebula before the little dinghy from the Legacy had died. Since then, he had spent his time trying to stay under the radar of the constabularies. It had been difficult, to say the least. So he had moved from job to job, from world to world. When he had reached Montressor spaceport, careful to keep his head down and not linger too long in one spot, he had been haunted by visions of a particular inn burning to the ground. Never would he have imagined that one act would change his life so drastically. So he had decided, on a whim, to go and see what had become of Jimbo and his dear mother.

It was then he had noticed the "Help Wanted" sign in the window. So the lass was looking for a cook, was she? Well, as many times as Silver had posed as a cook, certainly he would be right for the job. A little charm, a smile, and an impressive amount of finagling later and the job was his.

A hand on Silver's arm made him look up to see Sarah beside him. Her cerulean eyes twinkled as she set some mugs into the sink. "What is this?" she asked, motioning at the stew. "Everyone loves it."

"Why, lass, 'it do be me famous bonzabeast stew," he chuckled, lifting out the spoon for her to taste. "'Tis an old fam'ly recipe." Sarah lifted the spoon to her mouth and tasted it cautiously. Her eyes widened and a smile formed on her lips. "W'at do ye t'ink?" he laughed.

"It's delicious. No wonder everyone is asking for seconds. Let me go get Jim; I know he'll love…" she trailed off, a sad light filling her eyes. Her grip on his arm tightened slightly. Lowering the spoon, she rubbed her forehead with her hand. Silver ducked down, his eyes level with hers.

"W'at iz 'it, lass?" he asked softly.

When Sarah looked up at him, her eyes were brimming with tears. "It's nothing, just…well, as proud as I am of Jim, sometimes I forget he's not here. It's been just the two of us for so long…I guess it'll just take more time to get used to."

Placing a hand under her chin, Silver lifted her head up and held her gaze. "If t'e boy is anyt'ing like you, I'm sure t'at 'e misses ye too," he smiled consolingly. "T'e lad is a good one, jus' like 'is mam."

"You've never even met Jim," Sarah laughed, wiping the tears away. "Although I'm sure he'd appreciate the praise. I hope you get to meet him one day; I'm sure he'd like you."

"I 'ope so too," Silver smiled strangely. "Now 'op to it, lass. We've go' work ta do."

Sarah laughed before placing a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, Silver. You're a good man."

As she walked away carrying two steaming bowls of stew, Silver touched the skin where her hand had laid. It was tingling strangely. Almost as if he were…attracted. Looking over at Sarah, he couldn't help but admire the way the light hit her hair, the way her eyes would light up…the way she moved. Oh, regardless of the thoughts racing through his mind, there was _nothing_ good about this. "I mi'ht not be so good as ye t'ink, lass," he chuckled. What in the blazes was he going to do?


	4. Curses

_A/N: Thank you to all my readers for the wonderful reviews! They truly inspire and uplift me. But anyways, I apologize if Silver is OOC; I tried to write him as true to the movie as I could. Any suggestions on characterization are eagerly welcomed, as I don't want to ruin this story. _

_Also, to answer a question left in one of the reviews, B.E.N. was taken to the Interstellar Academy to be analyzed, and Morph went with Delbert on his vacation to help amuse the children. But don't worry; both will reappear in later chapters._

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><p>Silver sighed as he finished drying the last of the dishes. Honestly, although he was enjoying his stay at the Benbow, there were days that he missed the cool, crisp winds of the etherium. Nothing could quite compare to the smell of lacquered wood or the sound of a ship's lonely creaking in the dead of night. And absolutely <em>nothing<em> could compare to the view. Silver absently placed the last dish into a cabinet before staring out the window. If he craned his head just so and squinted, he could almost make out the bright star of the world Kinapas.

Making his way outside, Silver pulled his coat closer at the brisk air. Winter was quickly approaching this hemisphere of Montressor, and Silver was reminded again why he had always avoided this particular planet. He hated the cold; he honestly did. He made his way out to the front of the inn, carefully checking that no one was watching before realizing that there was no reason to. It was hardly likely that Sarah would accuse him of going soft just for watching the stars. Silver stopped and chuckled. Even after all this time, old habits died hard.

He leaned against the cool brick wall, his eyes roving over the vast plethora of blazing stars in the sky. Starting from the east, he carefully noted all the constellations, taking comfort in the knowledge that he still knew his way around the galaxy, even if thought of late had been…confused. Every since his conversation with Sarah two nights ago, he had been trying to keep their association professional, even if only on the surface. If Sarah had noticed anything different about his behavior (namely the fact that his touches did _not_ linger and that he kept his eyes on her _eyes_ during every conversation), she had said nothing. Inwardly, however, he had been fighting a losing battle to keep from seeing her in any way besides an employer.

Silver sighed and pressed a hand to his eyes. He still remembered Captain Amelia's taunt about "spaceport floozies", and he could not deny that there was some truth to the jibe. Silver had always known himself well, and one thing he had always known was that he would never be one to settle down. Although he had always tried to be somewhat picky in his choice of such company, he could not say that his attempts had always been successful. After all, voyages on the etherium were long; and he couldn't deny that his body had needs. He had often chosen to engage in the services of such ladies, and once or twice he had met a particularly nice barmaid; but never had he entertained the idea of settling down with any of them.

Which was what made his current predicament so hazardous. Sarah was in no way comparable to any of his past "company"; and he knew quite well that it would have to remain that way. Always in the past, his companions had been concerned either with payment or perhaps a good time followed by interesting conversation. But Sarah was interested in neither. Instead, her mind was occupied by her responsibilities, her business, and her lad. Her lad. _Perhaps e'en…me lad_, Silver admitted to himself. His heart contracted strangely at the acknowledgement. For although the boy may have been sired by another, Silver knew that Jim was _his_ son, in every way that mattered.

For a moment, Silver gazed up at the stars and silently cursed the man who had created this situation. He cursed the man who had left such a caring, patient wife and such a vulnerable, spirited son. But as he gazed up at the etherium, Silver felt the familiar tug in his soul, the comforting pull that told him he belonged up there…belonged _to_ it, in so many ways. Had Jimbo's father felt the same way? Or had he simply grown tired of his commitments? Silver frowned as the constellation Pleiades winked at him, and he cursed Leland Hawkins again.


End file.
